i think Atari used them alot

I was talking to someone this past weekend who makes an arcade control panel, that has 1,300 games built into it. It plugs into the HDMI slot on a TV. It has two joysticks and twelve buttons for two players. Most of the games I would not be interested in, but there were some that have made me consider it. It has all the Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Donkey Kong, and Pac Man games. Plus stuff like Popeye, Xevious, Bubble Bobble, Mario Bros, Arkanoid, Space Invaders, Burger Time, Jungle King and Centipede to name a few. (Centipede with no track ball? Don't know how that would be.) It seems well built. Asking price is $300. I could not tell the difference in the game play from an actual arcade machine. The controls all felt great. It does not seem like cheap parts were used. I thought it would be cool to make a custom stand with a TV and the control panel on it. Add a couple of swivel chairs and the whole thing would be good to go. I am not too familiar with arcade games or MAME stuff. I am not a purist. It seems like an ok way to go, to get some decent video game classics in the home with an arcade feel.

Were you looking for something like this?

ebay.com link: Pandoras Box 5s Classic Console Retro Games 1299 In 1 Arcade HD Fighting Party

It did not look like that, but it did have a Pandoras Box 5s screen, and it was 1,299 games. The one on Ebay is a lot cheaper. Do you know if it is any good?

I did not even know that something like this existed. LOL. I am glad that you posted the info. Now I can look into it a little more.

Vid, I really respect your opinion. Is this something worth getting? You know a hell of a lot more than I do.

I just noticed noticed that it was a video with a review and not just a picture. I should wear my glasses more. Thanks for posting Vid

I had the same idea as you. I’ve built a MAME system with a raspberry pi and bought an X-Arcade Tank stick. I run this on my 50inch Wall-mounted tv. Although setting up MAME and getting the right ROMs was a major headache, it really works well.

Yet, somehow it just doesn’t resonate with me in the same way as sitting at an arcade cabinet does. So it mostly sits unplayed. That is why I think these Arcade 1up units are so cool. They manage to scratch the same itch as the big, rat urine infested commercial units do(I own 4), and work just about as well for non-anal folks like me (except for that goldurned spinner!)

YMMV

That video review now gives me more to think about. At first it looked good but now I am not so sure. Maybe if I had seen it side by side with actual arcade games, I would have been able to spot some differences.

I think that you folks just saved me $300. If anything, I might take the chance on one for $100 on ebay. Even if its not great, I could still play it with my daughter. I heard that games could be deleted, so if there was anything that would be inappropriate for her age, I could get rid of it.

Too bad you've named one of the harder parts to source as those buttons are NLA and demand huge prices

Shame. Surprised there aren't any reasonable recreations. Seen some posts where it looks like people have found similar buttons that work with the cones at Lowes

There's really two ways to do emulation, in my opinion/experience:

1) You enjoy setting it up. Designing your cab, building it, picking controls, obsessing over 4 way sticks vs 8 way, wondering if you can fit a rotated Q-bert stick in your layout. Playing games is secondary, the thrill is getting as many as you can running, and then getting a front end to pick them all, and then customizing that front end so the buttons light up and digital instruction card appear for your guests. You run it sometimes as parties, people think they're neat, and don't notice or use 85% of your hard work after playing some Ms Pac-Man and "that one game they remember with the monsters, do you know the one?" and wandering off.

You think the kids will love it, but they mostly discover the old games are too hard, and don't look that interesting.

Aside from tinkering with it you rarely play games seriously, because just scrolling the nearly infinite lists feels daunting. But you just heard about a new front end and you're wondering if it's better than Hyperspin, maybe it's time to update? Hmm, maybe a new cab, but this one can rotate the monitor with a motor for horizontal and vertical games. Time to start planning.

2) You make a very specific setup, with a limited selection of games. Vertical monitor, 2 buttons, only games that work with that configuration, and then you dump half of them anyways because you don't enjoy them. Your list doesn't take long to scroll through, it only has games you like, and you play some regular favorites and overall enjoy the game playing experience and trying to beat your score in Burgertime.

I would pick door number two. Number one is not good for lazy people like me. I think the Pandora's Box 6s is not looking two bad right about now.

All I want is a Punch-Out / Super Punch-Out equivalent of the Street Fighter arcade.

Pandora’s box is like 90% foreign variations on a dozen or more fighting games that 99% of people don’t care about. They are neat... but make sure you actually study the game list and don’t get blinded by the just high game count.

There are only so many variations on king of fighters anyone needs...

The bezels (all three versions) are available from Arcade Shop LLC:
http://www.arcadeshop.com/d/22/pushbuttons_2.htm
Go to the end of the page.

I have a few sets that i'll probably sell.
I'll look for them later today.

Pandora's box is kind of the shittiest combination of both worlds. You get a ton of games you don't give a crap about to scroll past, controls that are badly optimized for 60% of them, chances are good than any one game you pick is going to be buggy or screen tear or have glitchy sound.

They're fine for toys to dip your feet, remember a few games, and then let collect dust. I wouldn't expect anything more than that from it.

I prefer the game elf vs the Pandora’s box. I currently have a game elf 412 vertical running in a cab. About 100 of the games are worth it. It works well for shumps and Pac-Man

What could I expect to pay for a decent emulator with a control panel for at least two players? I don't need a ton of games, just some of the classics. I do not care about obscure games. The Pandora seemed easy and fairly cheap. I would not mind putting in some work and more cash to get something better, but I do not want to go overboard. It would just be for casual gaming. I know nothing about this stuff so any info would have to be dumbed down. You guys seem to know much more than I do, so it would be good to get some options. I could get my feet wet with a Pandora and upgrade to something else at a later date, unless there is something I should have my sights on instead.

Are they making NBA Jam?

For me I'd never own Pandora's box... You know ZERO of those games are licensed... so you're just asking for the FBI or actually secret service to have better things to do and not go after end-users.

The impression I have is 1UPs are legal licenses of the games they sell... so you are "doing the right thing".

That's only about less than a quarter of the games that are "Worth it".

Not yet, but their response is always “we’re listening to our customers”. AND there was a leaked pic of one from CES; I hope to hear it announced at E3 for a Christmas release.

That’s “worth it” to me. Some are great games you just need the right controls. Ikari warriors needs a rotating joystick, Arkanoid is fun, but not without a spinner. Pac-Man, Faster Pac-Man, or puck man; they’re all the same to me. There’s a bunch of early 80’s games that I have no nostalgia for.

I have it for 1942, dodonpachi, raiden, digdug.... there’s enough to keep me happy. It’s easy to edit the game list, so I only cycle through the stuff I play, not the other 300 filler ones. The games I play are emulated well enough to keep me happy. The Pandora’s box vertical is called “The king of air” but only has 51 games.

These momentary switches from lowes (homedepot has similar as well) are the right size to screw right into those repro cone bezels. Unfortunately they do not light up like the Atari player select ones did. However they are a good match for the non light up style used on Missile Command.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/SERVALITE-1-Switch-0-75-Amp-Single-Pole-Black-Indoor-Momentary-Light-Switch/50107288

I've actually have used similar ones before but the ones I used had solder tabs on them, and they're a good substitute as long as you don't need the LED. I think the ones I used were Eaton.

I don’t have any measurements so can’t tell if this might work, but it looks sorta right.

https://www.parts-express.com/spst-snap-in-mount-push-button-no-momentary-125vac-1a-switch-with-2vdc-red-led--060-665

I recommend buying the games you want to play in spades. Get the actual games. I have emulation cabinets and actual games. I noticed I play the actual game in a cabinet well before the emulator. Alot of reasons as already said. It does not render the experience and feel for the game and that is what it's supposed to do. It just doesn't. What it does do is show you the game on a monitor with crappy controls and a crap ton of buttons in a couple of rows that are not laid out right. I have found the actual trackball, joystick and button's both type, control, there layout matter immensely.

I recently acquired a Galaga Cabaret that I cannot quit playing with original hardware. Its amazing to play with original joystick, leaf switch button and the cabinet being configured correctly yet I won't go play Galaga on an emulation system or even a 60 in 1. Go figure. This cabinet has changed my view on emulation alot and I realized for great games nothing compares to the actual play. I am fortunate to have the original joystick that does not match anything you can buy now. Its a rocker with leaf switches sitting vertically along side with stops. Just as with Donkey Kong being a 4 sides lock in place square metal that again cannot be simulated on a 4 way switch.

I highly recommend the originals if that is what you like to play.

I'm not so sure that emulation itself stinks. But I do agree with everything you said about controls. For the old arcade games, the controls are everything. Its the controls man, its the controls. I still have a belief it can be dealt with on an emulator cabinet, but it takes careful consideration of a lot of factors. That's why I have been stalled for a long time, biding my time and reading up on controls.

All of what you said makes sense. Unfortunately there are some factors that would prevent me from doing this. Space limitation, and cost. But I do agree, nothing beats an original.

Yea, Sorry the word stink is too far.... because there is a place and I do enjoy playing games that are emulated on a MAME game. But the trade off's are quite stark once you own an original with original hardware on the control panel.

I have a repurposed Zaxxon cab with a rotatable CRT monitor and various swappable control panels (one devoted to Defender alone) to match my favorite JAMMA and non-JAMMA boards. The only games I'm missing out on are the Vectors. This is as close to original as I get without leasing a warehouse.

Sounds like a lot of work.

You mentioned defender. Defender is a great example of the problems with emulation. Defender plays terribly on any of the multi game boards. The 19-1 or 512 in 1 are horribly inaccurate. The only jamma board that plays defender accurately is Jroks multi Williams. Jrok is not emulation but actual hardware running the proper code.

I played a ton of Defender/Stargate back in the day. Later I bought a Stargate and eventually converted it into a Multi-Williams with one of the 19-in-1 boards. I would say I’m a “hardcore casual” classic gamer and I can’t tell any differences; or else it was so minor that I forgot them. So I would say that to think that these play “terribly” is dependent on how much your perspective is that of a hardcore purist.

I am what they call a Stargate Specialist. Logging hundreds of hours of Stargate Flight School, I can tell you its all in the button configuration on this game. Nothing else works , no emulation , no multi williams cabinet.....nothing but the original on this one.

What does button placement have to do with computing hardware?

If its "all button configuration" how can this matter on original hardware or mame? I'm not familiar with that game, does it have some special controls that can't be recreated?

"If" you're not going to buy the original games in their original cabinets- who really has space for this?? Or the opportunities?? Or the $$'s??
And "if" you still want an *original* experience, then the control panels are more important than emulator vs original PCB's. (At least for most of the games I cared about.) You'll want to choose a cabinet for which you can easily build multiple control panels. I have 5. Probably would be "easier" to have 2 identical (so you can share control panels) cabinets and devote one to the horizontals and one to the verticals. This is the sweet spot.

... and my unmarried, childless sister. She badly wants the Centipede Arcade1Up.